Alexandre Cusson will invest 'billions' in public transport if elected premier

Quebec Municipalities Union (UMQ) president Alexandre Cusson speaks after signing a fiscal pact with the Quebec government at the National Assembly in Quebec City, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot

QUEBEC — If he becomes leader of the Liberal Party of Quebec (PLQ) and premier in 2022, Alexandre Cusson has promised to set up an interregional public transportation system that would cost "billions."

He said Monday that he would like to leave this legacy behind in Quebec.

At a news conference at the PLQ headquarters in Quebec, Cusson had a hard time fleshing out his project or quantifying it, but ultimately he risked a multi-billion dollar estimate.

According to Cusson, the project could be profitable in the long run and he maintains that Quebec goes into debt every day by not reducing its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Cusson argued that billions are already invested year after year in the Quebec Infrastructure Program (PQI).

Cusson was at PLQ headquarters to officially file his leadership application form. He is the only other candidate competing with former Deputy Premier Dominique Anglade for the leadership.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Mar. 2, 2020.